The Lone Travelers
by Apocalyptical
Summary: Several warriors are traveling through time. Will they ever get out, or will they be stuck in time forever? FF9 CROSSOVER ... NOW AWAITING REVISION
1. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: **Will trade deformed chocobo pancakes for rights to Final Fantasy…No? Alright…How about 2 pennies and deformed chocobo pancakes, I'll even throw in the…chocolate chips…for free!...Rats. Well, can't blame a girl for trying.

**Author's Note: **This is a crossover. I'm still debating about pairings (I might indulge in a little experimentation), as well as the actual size of the crossover universe in this story. Also, I apologize beforehand for any confusion I cause in this story; I have a habit of flitting all over the place. Can you tell I can't write fight scenes?

**Definite Pairings: **hints of Squall/Rinoa, Squall/Jane

* * *

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter One: Confrontation**

_Location: Ultimecia's Castle_

Ultimecia sat on her elaborate throne gazing down upon six teenagers imperiously. She sneered.

"…SeeD…SeeD…SeeD…SeeD, SeeD, SeeD! Kurse all SeeDs. Swarming like lokusts akross generations. You disgust me. The world was on the brink of that ever-elusive 'time kompression.' Insolent fools! Your vain krusade ends here, SeeDs. The price for your meddling is death beyond death. I shall send you to a dimension beyond your imagining. There, I will reign, and you will be my slaves for eternity. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Whom shall I exterminate first?"

She gazed upon the six warriors, before randomly pointing at three of them, a girl in blue with long dark hair, a girl with blonde hair and glasses, and a blonde haired boy with a tattoo on his face.

"I'll start with you three!"

Rinoa, Quistis, and Zell suddenly found themselves in a fight against Ultimecia. Selphie, a bouncy girl in a yellow dress, Squall, a quiet young man wearing fur and leather, and Irvine, a beige-clad cowboy, stood out of the way, behind a shining barrier.

The sorceress pounded on her three unlucky targets. They barely stood against her onslaught, healing whenever necessary. The battle raged on, ending only when Quistis cracked her whip ten minutes later, drawing blood from Ultimecia's side.

Ultimecia fell to her knees, and began to cackle evilly. She lifted herself up slowly, and began to float in the air.

"The most powerful GF…You shall **SUFFER**…! HAHAHA!"

The tainted summon Griever appeared with a roar.

At the sight of the creature, Squall paled, while Rinoa's eyes widened, recognizing the creature from Squall's ring. Zell squinted at it, before beginning to shadow-box restlessly. Quistis was frozen in shock at the sight of a previously-unknown GF, while Selphie squeaked and fell to the floor in surprise. Irvine just let out a long whistle.

The large Guardian Force growled, and began its attack while its opponents hastily summoned their GF's.

Twenty minutes later, the battle still continued. Rinoa was quickly growing weaker, but a well-timed X-Potion from Zell eased her pain. Luckily, she had managed to call her constant companion, Angelo, beforehand. The loyal dog ran up from behind her, and ran full-speed at Griever, connecting painfully. Angelo ran back to Rinoa for praise, then returned to his place somewhere behind her.

Griever let out a roar of pain, bellowing angrily. Ultimecia's voice then yelled out, "The GF's true power…To show you..! Griever! Make them bleed!"

He roared, and cast Shockwave Pulsar, a devastating attack.

After the attack was over, Rinoa and Quistis were in obvious pain, while Zell was laying facedown on the ground.

Rinoa and Quistis quickly drank their X-Potions, and Quistis prepared to throw a Phoenix Down to Zell, but it was too late. His body was enveloped in a blinding light, and a cherub briefly appeared, before both it and Zell disappeared into the light.

The remaining five stared in disbelief before Irvine quickly came to his senses and joined the fight. Griever quickly fell soon after, before he could cast another Shockwave Pulsar.

Ultimecia's voice rang out once again. "I shall junction myself…Unto Griever!"

Griever then turned into a disturbing blend of GF and sorceress. At this point in time, Selphie leaned over to whisper to Squall, "Can she even do that!" He just shrugged.

Irvine went to summon Siren, when there was a loud 'POP.' He let out a yell of pain as the Guardian Force vanished from his head. Their enemy shook her head at the cowboy, an evil smirk upon her face.

Deprived of the Guardian Forces, the brave SeeDs continued to attack and heal, attack and heal, until Quistis fell with a cry. Her prone form disappeared in the same manner Zell's had, and Selphie dove into the fight with a cry of "Booyaka!"

She darted for the enemy, and got in a good hit with her nunchakus. It let out a scream of pain as it found itself being forcefully pulled into Time Compression.

"Rghaah…"

The battlefield descended into darkness, and Ultimecia's true form appeared.

She cackled, before stating in a robotic voice, "I am Ultimecia. Time shall compress…All existence denied."

The three fighters tensed, not daring to summon their GF's, while Squall fidgeted behind his barrier.

Magic began to fly back and forth, until Irvine was hit with a fatal blow. As he fell, something caught his attention. "There's two—!" he yelled, before succumbing to his injuries. He disappeared as well.

Squall rolled his shoulders before rushing in, gunblade ready. His keen eyes detected what Irvine had tried to point out, and he began to mercilessly attack the second Ultimecia, which was right below the first one.

The first Ultimecia drew Apocalypse from the second. Rinoa, low on health from the latest attack, called Angelo. She threw a dog biscuit, and he leaped into the air, catching it. As he leapt, a moon briefly appeared in the backdrop, effectively casting Invincible Moon. Angelo then ran back to his mistress for more praise and another dog treat.

The first Ultimecia cast Apocalypse, failing to cause damage. Our three remaining heroes staggered, but then Selphie drew and cast an Apocalypse. The second Ultimecia went down for the count.

Squall then ran at Ultimecia, scoring a direct hit.

"Reflect on your childhood…"

Rinoa's weapon flew, hitting the sorceress point-blank.

"Your sensation…Your words…Your emotions…"

Selphie's weapon gave her a good solid whack.

"No matter…how hard you hold on…it escapes you…"

Squall readied his gunblade to attack Ultimecia.

A voice whispered in his head, "_Save your strength." _

Squall blinked in confusion, but without question passed the next turn on to Rinoa. She looked at him questioningly, but hit the sorceress.

"And…"

Power began to build up around Ultimecia, before she let loose with an Ultima.

Rinoa collapsed to the ground. Both she and Angelo disappeared into the light, while Selphie and Squall were brought to their knees.

Ultimecia began to cackle, staring down at the two lone SeeDs. Her body shook with anticipation, and she began to ready her final blow…

* * *

TBC… 


	2. Of Time and Orphanages

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter Two: Of Time and Orphanages**

_Location: Ultimecia's Castle_

He didn't know why he'd passed his last turn. True, the voice had told him to, but Squall knew better than to trust mysterious voices. But, he still obeyed, and he was glad he did.

Squall rose, and readied his gunblade, beginning his limit break Renzokuken.

Running forward, he swung his sword. One…two…three…four, five, six, seven hits. He landed back in his starting position, but he wasn't done yet.

"Lionheart!" He ran forward once more, sending Ultimecia soaring into the air with a powerful blow from his gunblade. There was a series of flashes as he attacked her form, until the assault ended and Squall gracefully landed on the darkness that represented ground. Ultimecia landed in a heap, disappearing in a blinding white light that seemed to consume her from within. The light expanded, enveloping the two remaining SeeD's.

* * *

All around was white. Up? White. Down? White. Forward? White. Behind? White. Left, right? White. 

It was totally silent, until the sound of clicking feet and a scuffing noise interrupted the silence. Raijin, an unconscious, muscled young man with a dark complexion was being dragged by Fujin, a young woman with short gray hair and a black eye patch.

"LESS FISH. MORE EXERCISE."

Fujin rolled her eyes, and continued to drag him along.

As Fujin and Raijin disappeared in the white emptiness, another man appeared. Dressed in a white trench coat adorned with red crosses, he walked dejectedly.

'_Go save Rinoa, I said. They won't be able to handle it, I said. Then what happens? I get brainwashed. Brainwashed! Me, the great and powerful Seifer Almasy, reduced to a lapdog! I went against SeeD, Squall, Matron…Now what do I have to return to? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I mean, I've even lost my rival, my sparring partner! Now he probably thinks I'm an enemy, and will kill me on sight. He was the only one I ever took for granted. I knew that my life as a SeeD wouldn't last, but Squall…I thought we'd always be rivals. I never would have stayed if it wasn't for the challenge of training with Squall everyday. Squall…Squall's rivalry was the only true definition of home for me. To me, wherever Squall was, home was. And what have I done? Flushed it, all down the drain! Good Hyne, what the hell have I done?'_

Lost in his thoughts, Seifer continued through the space, ignoring Irvine, who didn't even see him. He didn't even see the dark hole that he walked right into.

Irvine ran through the vast space, oblivious to Seifer's vanishing form.

"Is it over? Let's go! Let's go back to our time!"

Selphie appeared, and dashed through the space, unable to see Irvine, but still hearing him. "Shut up! Just calm down and think where we have to go!"

Zell ran by. "Careful guys! Don't pick the wrong time!"

Quistis raced by in the distance. "Whatever you do, don't fall into a time warp!"

Their figures eventually faded from sight, having found their ways out of time compression.

All was quiet in the nothingness. After what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes, the sound of footsteps began to echo throughout the area. Eventually, a person appeared to go along with the sound.

Rinoa slowly walked, oblivious to her surroundings, thinking to herself.

'_Time…place…who I wanna be with…'_

She sighed, and continued to think, until…

"I wanna go there! Where Squall and I promised. Squall!"

An excited Rinoa dashed off, certain that she would be able to find Squall.

* * *

Squall ran. He didn't know where he was, or when he was, but he did know that he did not want to be there. Everything around him was black, reminiscent of where he and the others fought Ultimecia's final form, and the complete opposite of the white emptiness the others had experienced. 

As he ran, Rinoa's voice echoed around him. "Squall! Let's go home! Where are you?!"

Squall skid to a stop. Good point. '_Where am I?_'

Another voice echoed, "Squall! Where are you going!?"

He blinked. '_I'm not even moving…'_

Squall could only stare as a young boy raced by him. '_…is that…?_'

"I'm gonna find Sis!" the boy yelled toward the person chasing after him.

As the boy ran, the darkness began to fade away, to reveal the orphanage, before it was just a pile of rubble.

"Squall!"

A woman with long dark hair and a kind face stopped next to the young SeeD, who blinked at her in surprise. _'…Matron.'_

She turned to look at him. "Excuse me. Have you seen a little boy?"

Squall nodded imperceptively. "You don't have to worry. The boy won't go anywhere."

She sighed sadly. "I think so, too. Poor thing…"

There was a loud clatter behind them, and they quickly turned around. The sorceress, Ultimecia, staggered towards them, bleeding heavily. Squall drew his gunblade.

"…You're alive!?"

Matron looked at him in confusion. "…The sorceress?"

"Yes, Matron. We had defeated her…Matron, stand back."

She shook her head. "It's okay. There's no more need to fight. That sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her powers on to. In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her powers. I know…for I am one, too. I shall take that sorceress' powers. I don't want one of the children to become one."

Ultimecia faltered, and gasped, "I…can't…disappear yet."

An orb of light exited Ultimecia's dying body, and entered Matron. Ultimecia fell to the dirt, before fading away completely.

"Matron!"

She looked at him. "Is this…the end?"

He nodded. "…Most likely."

She looked at him curiously. "You called me Matron. Who…are you?"

"A SeeD. A SeeD from Balamb Garden."

"SeeD? Garden?" She knew those terms, but not in that context. It confused her.

"Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas. Garden trains SeeDs. SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress."

All the pieces began to click together in Matron's mind. This stranger knew things…It was obvious, after his brief explanation, that he was from the future. He called her Matron, so that meant he was one of her orphans…and only one of the boys had brown hair. That meant…

"What are you saying? You're…that boy from the future?"

"…Matron."

Matron adopted a firm tone of voice. "Please return. You do not belong here."

The young Squall came running back, stopping by Matron. He looked at her sadly.

"I can't find Sis," he sniffed. "Am I…all alone?" Then, like a true child, noticed the person standing next to Matron. "Who's he?"

Squall shifted uncomfortably, and Matron coughed.

"Nobody. You don't need to know. The only Squall permitted here is you."

Young Squall's face screwed up in confusion, but just let it go. Orphan Rule Number One: If Matron is weird like that sometimes, you just have to ignore it.

She turned back to the SeeD. "Do you know where to go back to? Do you know how? Will you be all right by yourself?"

Squall nodded, and saluted her, before fading from view. '_I'll be all right, Matron. Because I'm not alone.'_

_

* * *

_

Five young faces were pressed against the orphanage windows. They'd seen everything.

"Didja see dat?"

"Wha' happened?"

"That sword was so cool!"

"Wazzat a weal knight?"

Selphie bounced excitedly. "I wanna knight!"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Stupid. Onwy sorcewesses have knights."

"He just disappar—dispear—went away!"

"Were dey ghosts?"

"Dunno."

"Dere's Sqwall! He pwob'ly knows what happened!"

Matron escorted the young boy inside the orphanage with a sad smile. As soon as she left, the orphans descended upon the poor boy.

"Didya see the knight?!"

He nodded.

"Wha's 'is name?"

He shrugged.

"Didya ask Matron?"

He nodded.

"Well, wha'd she say?"

"Nobody…"

"Who names zere kid 'Nobody'?"

"Stupid. That's not 'is name."

"Oh. Wha' else she say?"

Squall shrugged. "Something weird."

Five voices chorused in unison, "What?"

"There's only one me permitted here?"

"One Matron?"

"Stupid. One Squall." Seifer hit Zell over the head.

"You shoulda seen it Squall! The knight deflated a scary lady!"

The children descended on Squall, all but one. Seifer stood off to the side, thinking. '_I wanna be a knight, just like him! Me an' Squall! But not to a scary lady, just Matwon…or Sis! …But what did Matwon mean by 'one Squall'…?

* * *

_

TBC…


	3. Lost

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter Three: Lost**

_Location: Unknown; somewhere in Time Compression_

Squall looked around at the darkness surrounding him and began to run around, looking for his friends.

'_I'm not alone…If I call out, they will answer.' _

"Where is everyone!? Rinoa! Where are you!?"

No answer.

"Rinoa! Zell! Irvine! Quistis! Selphie!"

Still no answer. He tried to keep from panicking, but it was a lost cause. He began to run around in random directions, his voice growing hoarse from his yelling. His panic slowly gave into despair.

'_Am I…alone?'_

Everyone leaves. They always leave.

'_Rinoa? I want to hear your voice.'_

She wouldn't leave him…would she?

'_Which way…do I go?'_

Everything looked the same. There were no landmarks, no signs, nothing.

'_I can't make it back…alone'_

He never used to depend on others. When did he start depending on people?

'_Rinoa?'_

She couldn't have left…right?

'_Am I…all alone again?'_

There was no one there. Why would they leave without him? Why would they leave him alone again? Are they okay? Are they hurt? Dead?

'_Where am I?'_

The darkness had faded into a dry, dusty wasteland, devoid of all life. The earth was cracked. The sky was a cloudless expanse, but the weirdest part about it was…it was green.

Squall stumbled forward. He hated to admit it, but he was lost. He wasn't just lost; he was trapped in time, in a…desert? No, not a desert. There was no sand, and the only deserts he knew of had sand. Actually, it almost appeared as if he was stuck somewhere in the middle of Centra.

He continued forward, hoping to find some civilization, or at least the coast. Walking for hours, he eventually began to stumble along, but still he kept moving. Dehydrated and almost delirious, he kept on going.

'_Just put…one…foot…in front of the other…and everything'll be all right…just put one foot…in front of...the other…and the end…will soon be…in sight…'_

He began to talk to himself, in order to keep moving. He repeated his mantra over and over again over the course of several more hours, until he was about to collapse in a heap of black leather and fur. Squall took one final step, and stopped dead, staring at the sight before him.

It was as if the desert had been…interrupted. Erased. Several feet before him, the desert suddenly turned into a cliff, with only the familiar darkness in the distance. He blinked.

'…_Centra doesn't have any cliffs…' _

The cliff stretched out as far as the eye could see to the right and left. Squall turned around, resigned to the fact that he must've been going in the direction. He froze in shock and disbelief.

'_This can't be happening…'_

What had once been firm, dusty ground was now inky darkness. He slowly turned in a circle, his eyes slowly growing wider. In every single direction was darkness. He was stuck on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere.

Squall's legs gave out beneath him, and he fell to the ground. He didn't bother to stand up again. As he sat on the ground, he felt a breeze. He looked up, and saw a lone white feather slowly drifting towards him. Squall lifted his hand, and the feather softly landed in his palm.

He examined it briefly before looking back up. He let out an involuntary gasp as he saw something that had most definitely not been there before.

Where darkness had once been there was now light. The sky was blue, and flowers were growing up all over the place. However, the meadow did not belong there, and there was a strip of darkness between the two planes of existence.

In the middle of the meadow, there was a lone figure with its back facing him. This figure clutched a ring, and appeared to be looking for someone. Squall recognized the figure, and raised an arm towards it in relief.

"Rinoa!"

The figure begins to turn, when suddenly his vision is distorted, and he sees her in the SeeD ballroom, but her face is hazy. Like a broken record, she repeats the turning motion several times before facing him completely. The room begins to spin around, with her facing him the entire time, almost as if they were dancing once again.

Images begin to blink in and out of focus, his friends, his experiences. Everything becomes jumbled, and indistinct voices begin to echo within his head.

After what seems like several minutes, but was in fact only a matter of seconds, he falls unconscious, the world slowly fading into darkness. As he lies on the dusty ground, the white feather that had been in his hand slowly drifts away, caught in another breeze.

Shaking. Someone's shaking him. His eyes slowly open, and a worried face stares down at him.

"…Rinoa?"

* * *

TBC… 


	4. Have You Seen My Squall?

**Author's Note: **Yes! A new chapter! I got around to typing it late, and I would've gotten it up sooner, but our school decided to put up new surf control that hates I miss our old surf control. :( Anyways, I already have chapter 5 typed up, and I'm almost done with chapter 6, so expect them sometime this weekend!

* * *

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter Four: Have You Seen My Squall?**

_Location: Time Compression_

_Rinoa's POV; while Squall is wandering around_

A light breeze blew through the meadow. The sun shone brightly overhead, and not a cloud was in the sky. Flowers were as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by a blue-clad figure.

'_Where is he…? He promised! Oh, Squall, where are you?!'_

Rinoa turned around, looking for her knight. Her hand clasped her necklace, where she kept his Griever ring.

"Squall! Squall! Where are you! Squall!"

She can only think about Squall. All thoughts of Angelo and the others are absent, forgotten for the moment. All she wants is Squall.

She closes her hand, and then opens it to reveal a soft white feather. She raises her hand to her lips, and softly blows the feather away.

"Find him," she whispers, giving it a boost of magical power. It drifts away, before disappearing in mid-air.

She continues to desperately scan the meadow for a single glimpse, when she hears a voice, as if from far away, calling her name.

She turns to see Squall sitting in a wasteland, surrounded by darkness. Her feather is in his hand. She smiles brightly, and runs toward him.

"Squall!"

Her smile vanishes as he collapses to the ground, and the feather drifts from his hand. Its purpose fulfilled, it vanishes from sight.

"No! Squall!"

She begins to sprint towards him, but it's too late. The wasteland, and Squall with it, disappears.

Tears begin to stream down her face. Her one chance to be reunited with Squall is gone. As she cries, another place appears where the wasteland had once been.

A bark echoes from the new place, and she slowly lifts her head.

Angelo barks at her again, and happily wags his tail.

Around him is a bustling city in serious need of repair. It appears to have undergone some sort of attack. Buildings are literally falling apart, and some have large gaping holes in them. Wooden scaffoldings are everywhere, and people bustle back in forth. Some people have hammers and nails, some have saws, and yet others are carrying around long boards. None of them notice the dog, his owner, or the meadow.

Rinoa blinks, and undergoes a rapid thought process.

'_Dogs have noses. Dogs can track. Dogs can track Squall. Angelo is a dog. Angelo can track Squall!'_

Ignorant of the fact that dogs probably can't track a person lost in time, she immediately digs out one of her last dog treats, flicking off a piece of blue fuzz.

She's sure he can make it past the small strip of darkness to her meadow.

"Angelo! Come 'ere boy! Come 'ere! I have your favorite treat! Mmm, milk bone! Come 'ere boy! Come on!"

Angelo continued to stare at her and wag his tail happily. He took one step, then two steps. He prepared to bound over to her, when there was a sudden crash.

There were several more crashing noises, followed by yelling. Seconds later, a blonde boy with a tail ran up a stairwell leading up to the alley Angelo stood in.

"Zidane! You get back here right now!"

The boy turned to look back down the stairwell, and narrowly missed being hit by a flying frying pan. He ducked, and took off.

Angelo stared, and the second he saw that tail as the boy ran, he took off after him, barking excitedly.

Rinoa gasped. "No! Angelo! Sit! Stay! Bad dog, bad! Bad! Angelo! No!"

The view of the city faded away into darkness, and she collapsed in the midst of the colorful flowers.

'_I knew I should've gotten a cat.'_

She stared out at the darkness sadly, and couldn't help but blink when yet another location appeared. Familiar meadow filled in the darkness, along with a view of the ocean. Several large buildings appeared, as well as some broken down pillars. It was a well-kept place, with a lighthouse in the backdrop.

There was a slight strip of darkness separating the two meadows as well, even though they were almost identical.

Rinoa gazed at it, smiling softly.

'_The orphanage…'_

She turned to go find her other time, when she froze, thinking.

'_What if the others are lost as well? The first place they'd go would be the orphanage, right? And maybe Matron knows how to get Squall back.'_

She turned back to the orphanage and paused. Did she really want to do this?

She took one hesitant step, and then another. Her steps became more confident, until she was striding from one meadow to another.

She stopped in front of the large building, looking around, before hesitantly approaching the door in the very front.

_Knock, knock._

The door was flung wide open by a grumpy little boy with short blonde hair wearing a familiar blue shirt with a silver cross on it. She couldn't help but smile.

'_Seifer's so cute!'_

"Is Matron here?"

He stared at her solemnly. After a second or two, he let out a loud yell.

"MATWON! SOMEONE'S AT THE DOOR!"

She winced. That definitely answered her question.

Instead of Matron appearing instantly, a group of children mysteriously appeared from out of the woodwork.

Little Selphie wore bright green overalls and a yellow shirt. Next to her was Irvine in beige pants and a forest green shirt. Quistis was wearing a bright blue shirt with bright red pants, while Zell wore dark blue pants and a white shirt with dark blue suspenders. Standing off to the side was Squall in blue jeans and an orange shirt with two dark stripes going across it in the middle.

She smiled at them softly. They just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Are yoo gonna adopt someone?"

She paused.

'_Uh…'_

"Children, leave the nice lady alone." A familiar woman with long dark hair and a blue dress walked out of the pantry. She smiled at Rinoa hesitatingly. "How may I help you?"

"Um…I'm actually looking for someone…Maybe you've seen them?"

"Do yoo know the knight?"

Rinoa blinked at Selphie. "Knight?"

"Yeah, he made the scaly lady go away!"

"…_Scaly…? Oh, scary!"_

Matron coughed. "Selphie…"

"Sowwy Matwon."

"Now, who is it you're looking for?"

"Um…" Rinoa coughed, and looked at the children. "There's five people I'm looking for actually, a man with a tribal tattoo on his face; a woman with long blonde hair, a whip, and glasses; another woman with flippy brown hair who runs off of sugar;" at this Matron grinned, reminded of Selphie, "another man with a black cowboy hat and tan trench coat, and…uh…"

She glanced at the children. Irvine was staring at her raptly, drawn in by the word 'cowboy'. From what Selphie said, Squall had probably already been there.

Matron raised an eyebrow at her hesitation. Rinoa twisted her hair around her fingers nervously.

"And…" Matron prompted. She suspected she knew what Rinoa was going to say next.

"Um...uh…"

'_Think Rinoa, think!' _

"…a friend of E-L-L-O-N-E?"

Matron chuckled. She thought so.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen them. However, a young man visited not too long ago, I'm surprised you haven't found him yet."

"But I did!"

Matron blinked at her.

"…Then why…?"

"He's lost! I thought you could help!" She cried.

"If he doesn't want to be found…"

"…That's just it! He does! But, but…something happened! I've been cut off from him; from my dog…I'm afraid I'll never see him again! I'm afraid I'll never see any of them again! What if it's not them who're lost, but me?!"

"Are you alone?"

"What?

"Are you alone?"

Little Squall leaned over to whisper to Seifer, "Tha's wha' she asked the knight."

Rinoa blinked. "Am I…alone? I…I suppose…I am. Yes, I suppose I am alone."

"You are not. If you truly believe you are alone, then you never would have made it this far. Concentrate on those you believe in, and those who believe in you. Do not think too hard, otherwise you will be lost. In time, you will find what you seek. If not, then it was not meant to be."

"I…"

"Now go. They will find you. Go, before it is too late."

Rinoa stared at Matron, who was looking very serious. After several seconds, she nodded.

Rinoa walked out the door, then paused. Just outside the door she turned around, and found herself staring at the ruins of the old orphanage. She was back in her time.

Rinoa took a deep breath. She had to tell Cid. She carefully pushed the hanging door open, and went to find him and Matron.

* * *

_Location: Edea's Orphanage_

The children sat on the floor quietly talking.

"Was she wooking for the knight?"

"Bet she's a sorcewess!"

"She's too pretty!"

"So's Matron!"

"……...I wanna cowboy hat."

Seifer and Squall sat off to the side, away from the other children. Squall was silently wishing for Sis, while Seifer pondered.

'_She was pretty. Can I be her knight? But then what about Squall? Whose knight will he be? Can we share? Where's her knight? How'd they get separated? The pretty lady might let us be her knights if we find her puppy! Yeah!'_

Seifer shot to his feet, and grabbing poor Squall's arm, dragged him out of the orphanage.

"S-Seifer?"

"Knight…pretty…puppy…"

That was the last thing Squall heard before he and Seifer were suddenly enveloped in darkness. What seemed like seconds later, the darkness faded away.

They exchanged confused looks, before walking back home to the orphanage, scared by what they had just experienced. As soon as she saw them, Matron went into a fit of mothering.

"I was so worried! None of the children knew where you went, and you've both been gone for three hours! How many times have I told you not to go off alone?!"

The two boys stared at her in shock.

"But…Matwon…we've onwy been gone for five minnits."

* * *

TBC… 


	5. A Different Time

**Author's Note: **I don't own the phone number. It's not mine, and was produced by randomly hitting numbers on the keyboard. And I just realized that halfway through the story I switch from past tense to present tense back to past tense. I'll probably keep it mostly past tense, but no guarantees here.

* * *

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter Five: A Different Time**

_Location: Unknown_

_Time: Unknown_

'_Tail! Tail! Ruff, tail! Must catch human-cat! TailtailtailtailtailtailTAIL!' _

Angelo bounded through the streets of the city, focusing on only one thing and one thing only: the elusive tailed human.

The young human was always one step ahead, turning the chase into more of a game. The young man, Zidane, paused on a damaged church bell tower, glanced at the furiously barking dog on the ground, and grinned in amusement. Off he went, Angelo close behind.

Their game led them close to the dock, where they effortlessly overturned a boat. They then bounced through someone's house, through the gaping holes in the walls. Zidane then led Angelo up onto a slope, and up onto the rooftops of the surrounding houses, past the alleyway, and into the Center Square.

A man carrying a large piece of plywood was their next victim, followed shortly by the flattening of a young boy that looked suspiciously like a hippo.

Zidane looked behind him to see where the dog was, and almost fell into the river, teetering on the edge. As he started to fall forward, he felt a pain in his tail, and twisted around to look.

'_My tail! My beautiful, luxurious tail is going to be ruined!'_

He was pulled backwards, and fell to the ground. Zidane immediately began to try to dry his tail of the dog slobber and smooth its fur.

Angelo sat before him, wagging his tail slightly, his slobber accumulating in a small puddle on the ground.

Having fixed his tail, Zidane turned to look at his…well…savior.

"C'mere, mutt."

Angelo bounded over to him, licking his face happily.

"Blech! Gerroff!"

Angelo kept licking his face. Zidane gently pushed him off, and looked at his tags.

**Angelo  
Owner Rinoa Heartilly  
Timber  
(814) 683-9475**

Zidane stared at them for a minute, briefly wondering what the strange numbers on the bottom of the tag were.

"Rinoa Heartilly, huh? Is your name Angelo?"

Angelo barked. Zidane coughed at the sudden blast of dog breath he received.

"Where's your owner? Where's Rinoa?"

Angelo looked at him sadly, and his tail drooped. He whined.

"Guess you're lost, huh? I wonder where this Timber is, must be a pretty small village. How about we take you up to the palace, and figure out what to do from there?"

Angelo cocked his head to the left, ears perked.

"You'll love Quina's cooking; she makes the best food."

Angelo barked several times, in succession. Zidane could feel his poor ears ringing in protest.

Picking himself up, Zidane hopped onto the nearest gondola.

"Come on boy."

Angelo jumped in. The gondola was just beginning to move when a loud crash, followed by cursing echoed from the Center Square.

Angelo froze, staring at the direction of the yelling. His ears were perked up, and his tail began to wag excitedly. He knew those voices!

SPLASH!

Angelo jumped out of the gondola, overturning it and sending Zidane straight into the water.

An extremely soaked Zidane gave chase as Angelo headed straight for the Center Square.

"Angelo! Stop! No! Bad dog! Heel! Sit! Stay! Angelo! Get back here!"

* * *

TBC… 


	6. Madain Sari

**Author's Note: **I own Jane's personality, Sienna, the random summoners, Sever , and Mikel. This chapter drove me bonkers, so you better appreciate it. And yes, I know it's boring, but sometimes these filler chapters are necessary. And yes, I know I'm way way way way WAAAAY behind! I'm trying to catch up though!

* * *

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter Six: Madain Sari**

_Location: Unknown_

_Time: Unknown_

Squall blinked, trying to focus on the blurry face hovering above him. His head felt fuzzy.

"…Rinoa…no…not Rinoa…Rinoa's not a….mesmerize…" he muttered before his world slowly faded into darkness once again.

* * *

'_This is bad…This can't be happening…Strangers don't appear out of thin air and call you 'Rinoa.' They do not compare you a...mesmerize? What's a mesmerize? Oh no, what do I do, what do I do?'_

A young dark-haired woman stared at Squall, biting her lip and rubbing the horn in the middle of her forehead nervously before making a decision.

"Morrison! Chimomo! Sienna! I need some help!"

Three winged creatures, moogles, flew over. The oldest one, Sienna, voiced the question that was on all of their minds, "Jane, what happened?"

"…I…I don't know. Just help me get him to Madain Sari."

* * *

_Time: 3 months later_

"…You can't be serious."

Squall stared in disbelief at the young woman sitting in front of him.

"I am, perfectly. Just try it."

"No."

"Do you want to keep your memories? You already don't remember where you came from, who your parents are, and so on. Do you want to forget everything? This'll help."

"…There's no proof."

"Be serious, you're just hesitating because you don't like to change your ways. NOW DO IT!"

"…"

"Ha! You're relenting!" Jane bounced up and down in excitement.

"…I'm not doing it."

"For the love of…SIT DOWN AND MEDITATE BEFORE I SIC IFRIT ON YOU!!"

"You need it more."

"…What did you just say?"

"You need it more."

Jane squealed in excitement and hugged Squall happily. "You have been listening to me!"

"…"

"Don't deny it; you said I needed it more. How would you know I needed it more unless you were listening! …Wait a minute...That's not nice!"

Squall smirked, before peeling off the enthusiastic girl.

"Okay, let's be serious. You need meditation. You will meditate, no matter how stupid you feel. You will regain your memories and hopefully be accepted in Madain Sari. No ifs, ands, or buts. Understood? Good."

Squall rolled his eyes, but nodded. _'What am I getting myself into…?'_

"First, we're going to do relaxation meditation. It will increase your alertness and lower your stress. Step One: Sit up straight."

Squall sat with his back as stiff as a board.

"Not that straight. Just relax with your spine straight."

"…" Squall loosened his back muscles, relaxing slightly.

"Good! Step Two: Gaze softly at the ground."

Squall gave the ground a death glare.

"Softly! Softly! Pretend it's a cat or something."

He glanced up briefly to look at her incredulously.

"Fine. It's dirt. Relax your eyes. Good. Are you staring at anything in particular?"

"…A rock."

"Don't look at the rock. Don't look at anything."

"You wanted me to look at the ground. I'm looking at it."

Jane slapped her forehead. "Just look down and don't focus on anything in particular."

"…"

"Are you doing it?"

"Yes."

"Great! Now let your eyelids droop. Don't close them, just let them droop like you're about to fall asleep."

"I am about to fall asleep."

"Keep gazing."

Squall kept looking downwards, and eventually began to breathe rhythmically. He didn't notice, but Jane's lips curled into a large smile.

"Let your attention drift. You can close your eyes if they get too heavy."

Silence.

Jane slowly stood up, stretching, and went to get her pack. Quietly opening it, she dug out a thick book, and settled comfortably against a nearby tree.

* * *

Squall twitched. He was getting unbearably uncomfortable, and his foot had already fallen asleep. Unable to stand it anymore, he stretched his leg out, trying to get the circulation going again.

His movements brought him to Jane's attention, and she immediately smiled.

"Good job for a beginner. A couple more days of this, and we can start you on the important stuff. Now, how do you feel?"

Squall ignored her, instead standing up and cracking his back, before looking at her stoically.

"Fine, ignore me. Are you ready to go back?"

He nodded, and Jane began to pack away her book. He picked up his gunblade and followed her down a small path, out of the woods.

* * *

_Time: 1 year later_

A dubious Squall stared at the summoners gathered around the round room, Eidolon Wall, and adjusted his black trench coat. He no longer wore his fur and leather jacket, replacing it with a black trench coat with a silver Griever emblem on the back. The rest of his outfit was basically the same. His gunblade still hung by his side.

The summoners, in robes of various colors, stared right back.

Finally, the sound of running feet pounded down the nearby bridge, and a breathless Jane stopped at his side.

Jane was wearing a lavender dress with a dark purple sash and a matching ribbon tying her hair back. Over the dress was a loose dark red robe, covered with the embroidered flames near the hems. Like all the other summoners, her horn in the middle of her forehead was painted according to the color of her robe.

A stuffy looking man in a royal blue robe stared at her disdainfully. "Shall we begin?"

She bowed. "Yes sir. In accordance with the law, I, Jane Kant, lower guardian of the eidolon Ifrit, hereby request that the foreigner Squall Leonhart be admitted into the High Order of Summoners and be granted citizenship in Madain Sari."

"Has the man in question demonstrated a proficiency in summoning?"

"Yes sir."

"Has he begun meditation?"

"Yes sir. One year ago, sir."

"Have there been any sudden mental or physical changes since he began meditation?"

"Yes sir."

"Explain."

"Before he began meditation, Squall Leonhart was experiencing gradual memory loss. It is believed that the eidolons he possessed at that time were taking up space in his memories. After he began meditation, he quickly regained his memories and discovered the presence of eidolons he had not been aware of previously."

The summoner raised an eyebrow at her. "…Interesting. Is the man in question able to perform a demonstration of his talents?"

Jane turned to Squall, who nodded and bowed. "Yes sir."

Squall adjusted his posture, placing one foot slightly in front of the other, and brought his hands in front of his body, stretching his arms out. A well of power slowly arose from his body as he projected his thoughts inward.

A wind quickly picked up in the room, and the earth trembled. There was a sudden flash of light, which quickly abated to reveal a menacing silvery-blue form: Griever.

The enormous summon stared at them disdainfully and flapped his wings once, before vanishing once again with a loud crack.

They all stared at the space Griever had once occupied, before the old summoner coughed once, breaking the sudden silence.

"That was…interesting. And the name of this eidolon?"

"Griever, sir."

"I see. Griever it is." The summoner turned back to Jane. "Do you believe the possession of eidolons is detrimental to his health in any way?"

"No sir. If anything, they are beneficial to his health."

"Do you believe he would be a good citizen for Madain Sari?"

"I do."

"And why is that?"

"He has joined in the patrols around the city, and no monster dares to come within 5 miles of the city since his appearance. He's frightened them all off, sir."

The old man raised an eyebrow. Monsters are well known for the fearlessness. A scared monster is something to take note of.

He paused, and then appeared to be making a mental decision. He turned to the rest of the gathered summoners. "Who here believes we should accept the petitioner's request?"

Every single hand in the area raised up high. The old summoner smiled briefly, and turned back to Squall.

"It appears the decision is unanimous. Do you accept our decision?"

"I do."

"Very well. Raise your right hand, and place it on the wall."

Squall did so.

"Do you, Squall Leonhart, vow to follow our laws and conduct yourself in a manner befitting that of a citizen of Madain Sari?"

"I do."

"Do you agree to act as in a manner befitting that of a summoner of the High Order of Summoners, no matter what rank you receive?"

"I do."

"Do you agree to ally with your eidolons for only the forces of good?"

"I do."

"Do you swear on your life, and the life of your eidolons, that you will keep the previous vows?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me as the High Lord Guardian of the High King Eidolon Bahamut I declare you a citizen of Madain Sari and summoner of the High Order of Summoners of Madian Sari. I hereby bequeath to you the title of High Lord Guardian of the High Lord Guardian Griever, a position that has been unoccupied for over two hundred years, and is second only to my position. Congratulations."

Several gasps were heard around the room, and Jane's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Squall's emotions were betrayed only by the rapid blinking of his eyes.

Squall bowed formally. "Thank you sir."

The old man smiled, and held out a hand for him to shake. "No need to be so formal, call me Sever, we are almost equals after all."

"Yes si—I mean, yes Sever."

He laughed. "We'll train you yet!"

Sever glanced at the summoners gathered around them, and waved them towards Squall. "Have at 'im then!"

With that, Squall found himself smothered in almost all of the summoners and moogles, all trying to congratulate. All, however, except for a lone summoner with jet-black hair and a dark black robe. He glared at the oblivious group.

'_First my woman, then the position **I** should have been granted…Watch your back, Squall Leonhart, for when you least expect it…'_

Sever glanced over, and noticed him standing aloof.

"Don't just stand there Mikel, he won't bite!"

He bowed, and stepped forward to give his congratulations, the silver bats on his robe glinting malevolently.

* * *

TBC… 


	7. Reappearances and Disappearances

Author's Note: So far, this has been my absolute favorite chapter. I just love it! Please review! And I know, I know, I'm behind! But I've been gone for two weeks, and even though all my e-mail is now gone and all my alerted stories have been read, I still have to catch up! But I'll try not to update too slow again! I own Seraph and Nightshade. ...And the boulder. 8D

* * *

**The Lone Travelers**

**Chapter Seven: Reappearances and Disappearances**

_Locations: As of yet unknown_

_Time: Post-Time Compression, Present_

Zell blinked. And blinked again.

A large golden upside-down chocobo blinked back at him. It warked loudly, almost bursting his eardrums, and grabbed a tuft of Zell's hair in his beak.

Zell promptly fell out of the tree, yelling in surprise and pain, and glared at the chocobo, who blinked innocently at him. Zell carefully picked himself up, brushing off loose leaves, a stray branch, and one unoccupied bird's nest. He gave the chocobo one last glare for good measure, and set off at a sprint for a small town near a beach, the nearby Balamb.

The chocobo watched him calmly until he was almost out of sight. It then fluffed its feathers, flapped its wings and…vanished in a bright flash of pale blue light.

* * *

A small crowd was gathering, craning their necks upwards to look a young brunette teenager with flippy hair. 

"Don't do it! It's not worth it!" yelled a bystander.

Selphie blinked in confusion. "What's not wor…Oh. Oh!" Selphie stared down in shock, perched on top of the highest remaining portion of Trabia Garden.

Selphie eyed the side of the building, noting the obvious slant in the structure. She stood up, and jumped, easily sliding down the building. Some of the onlookers screamed, while others covered their eyes or fainted. She landed gracefully on the ground, oblivious to the danger she had just been in. A loose chocobo wandered over, and pecked her on the hand, wishing for attention.

She idly waved it off, her mind concentrated on more important things. "Does anyone have a phone?"

A young man with ice blue hair smiled at her winningly, and forked over his cell phone. The ignored chocobo warked at her in irritation, and ran off. Seconds later, a faint flash of pale blue light could be seen in the distance.

* * *

A young girl peered at her instructor curiously. 

"Instructor, what are you doing?"

Quistis cracked open an eye.

"What?"

Another student appeared, looking slightly amused.

"Instructor?"

Quistis blinked at the two students uncomprehendingly, and moved to stand up.

THUMP!

"Ouch!"

It was then that Quistis realized where she was: under her desk.

Ignoring the two staring students, she reached her arm over the top over her desk, blindly reaching for her classroom phone and dragging it under her desk. In her search for the phone, she knocked over a tiny chocobo figurine in the process, which promptly disappeared in a tiny flash of pale blue light.

* * *

Drip…drip…drip… 

Irvine twitched. Something was dripping on his face.

Drip…drip…drip-drip-drip…drip…drip…

Whatever it was, it seemed to be dripping faster…and was that a warm breeze on his face?

He opened his eyes and involuntarily jumped in surprise, before groping for his faithful Exeter. Staring right into his face was a long, black snout, beady little yellow eyes, and several hideous looking teeth. It belonged to an absurdly large rat that was about 5 feet in length…not counting the tail.

He tried to smile, making sure not to show his teeth. Its tail whipped from side to side, quite like a dog would wag its tail, splashing in some nearby water frequently.

"Nice rodent…nice rodent…rodent like some cheese?" Irvine asked nervously, still blindly reaching for his rifle.

It squeaked, making poor Irvine's bones rattle. Dust fell down from the ceiling.

_'Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. Irvine, the great sharpshooter, killed by an enormous rat after defeating the Sorceress Ultimecia. That'll go over well…'_

"Heh…Nice rodent…will you please not do that again?"

It's tail whipped even faster. Irvine kept groping for his gun, unable to crane his neck to see its location without being obvious. The two were so intent on each other that they never noticed what placed for lights flickering ominously, and a weird slithering sound, until an odd shadow slowly appeared over the rat, and sliced its long claws downwards towards Irvine's head. He barely saw it in time, and quickly moved his head out of the way. The rat squeaked in surprise, twisting around on the ambusher, its teeth barely missing the monster's head.

Free from the rat, Irvine shot to his feet, and quickly took note of his surroundings. A small chair lay on its side, next to the remains of a small table. A small river of sewage gurgled past, and a rickety ladder led its way up to a manhole. Irvine cursed, immediately recognizing it as the patch of sewer beneath Galbadia Garden's former location. It had once been his retreat, until Martine rolled a 500-pound boulder over the manhole. His Exeter was resting next to a pile of rotting books.

Faster than a snake, Irvine grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the monster, a Creeper, who was really pissing off the rat. He let out a piercing whistle, causing both creatures to freeze in surprise, and pulled the trigger, blasting off the Creeper's upper portion. It's remains slowly slipped to the floor, and disappeared into wisps of shadow.

Irvine kept his gun on the rat, inching over to the ladder. Maybe the boulder had been moved. Still gazing at the rat, who was gazing right back at him, he carefully climbed the ladder and tried the manhole. It wouldn't budge.

"Dammit," he cursed. "The nearest exit is in Deling. I hate Deling."

He climbed down the ladder, and began to walk backwards down the sewers, his rifle still aimed at the rat. Three steps later, his foot touched air, and he lost his balance. His arms flailing, he landed with a splash in the sewer water, landing on the still-fresh body of a dead chocobo. He let out a yell, and some of the sewage entered his mouth. He crawled out of the river, spitting in disgust, temporarily forgetting the rat.

He looked up, and promptly fell back into the sewer as he gazed up into the rat's beady eyes once again.

He stared at it in suspicion, and it blinked back at him.

_'Well…it hasn't killed me yet.'_

In one of his stupider moments, Irvine crawled back out of the sewage and turned his back to the rat and continued down the sewer. Well, he would have, if it hadn't've moved in front of his legs, tripping him.

"What the…?"

The rat stared at him pointedly, and its tail flicked, bring his attention to the sign next to it.

It was a sign pointing the direction to Deling City…which was not the way he was going. Irvine stared at it in surprise, and continued in the opposite direction. Surprisingly, the yellow dead chocobo was floating in the same direction, which was odd, seeing as how most sewers flowed away from the city. It was almost as if it was going against the current, but Irvine quickly dismissed that from his mind. With a sigh, he slung Exeter over his shoulder and followed the yellow dead chocobo, trying to ignore the large rat that was following him like a dog.

Two hours, three close encounters with the dead chocobo, four trips into sewage, and ninety dead monsters later, Irvine was staring at a large manhole as the ceiling rumbled and rattled. Irvine glanced at his rat-shaped shadow, quickly squished up the ladder, pushing up the manhole cover…and narrowly missed being run over by a trolley.

"Damn!"

Irvine lost his balance and fell, twisting his leg in the ladder rungs. The rat rushed over to him, nuzzling his face with its snout.

Irvine waved it off, and froze, staring at the remnants of a collar around its neck.

_'It can't possibly…'_

He pushed its hair back to reveal a badly tattered collar that was too tight around the rat's neck. It had once been a bright red, but was now a faded brown.

"…Nightshade…?!" he gasped in shock.

The rat let out a loud squeak of excitement, and burrowed its head in the crook of his neck. Irvine quickly removed the too-tight collar, and stared at the rat in disbelief.

"I don't believe it…Rats can't possibly live this long."

Nightshade simply looked at him smugly.

_Flashback_

_A young Irvine patted his loyal companion, a small rat about the size of his hand._

"_When I get older, I'm going to be a cowboy," he told the rat._

"_And you're no horse, but you can be my trusty friend. Just wait, I'm going to learn how to shoot and be the best marksman ever!"_

_The small rat squeaked as if in agreement, and Irvine grinned._

"_Yeah…I'll see ya later Nightshade, I gotta go to class."_

_End Flashback_

When Irvine returned later that day, the boulder was over the manhole.

"All these years…I thought you'd be long gone. I hate to say it, but I forgot about ya, boy. Damn GF's messing with my brain and all. Well, I'll explain everything later. First phone call, then bath."

It squeaked at him in reproach, and Irvine grinned. "Well, c'mon trusty friend, let's give 'em something they'll never forget!"

Nightshade's tail whipped around excitedly and followed Irvine up the ladder, who checked for traffic this time, and climbed out of the manhole. Oblivious to the staring passers-by, Irvine limp-squished his way over to the nearest payphone, followed by a large hulking rat.

Down below in the sewers, the body of the dead chocobo disappeared in a flash of pale blue light.

* * *

Raijin woke up to find himself facedown in the dirt, pinned to the ground. 

"Mmph, mph neph?"

He immediately received a kick to the ribs.

"Mph!"

The weight on top of him shifted away, and he rolled over to find himself face to face with Fujin in a large crater.

"What happened, ya know?"

"TIME COMPRESSION."

Raijin blinked. " I thought there would be a difference, ya know?"

"STUPID. BALAMB."

He looked around, and saw that, yes, Balamb was only a few miles away. Zell's distant figure could be seen hurrying towards Balamb.

The pair exchanged glances before climbing out of the deep crater and walking towards the small village. Suddenly, Fujin froze, and locked her one piercing eye on Raijin. "WHERE'S SEIFER?"

A pause, and then they broke into a run.

In the crater, a small chocobo pendant lying on a patch of disturbed dust disappeared in a flash of pale blue light.

* * *

Poke. Poke. Poke. 

Seifer swatted at the source of the annoying poking. "Five more minutes."

Poke. Poke. Poke.

His eyes flew open. "Dammit, I told you…" He broke off. "What the hell?"

An odd white thing with purple bat wings and a red pom-pom in the middle of its head floated in front of him, brandishing a stick. Several more seconds of observation revealed that he was actually laying in a small rowboat before a large city. Nothing about the place seemed even vaguely familiar.

"Where am I?"

"Madain Sari, the city of summoners! I'm Seraph, Official Moogle Assistant to the High Lord Guardian of the High Lord Eidolon Griever!"

"Uh-huh. Enough of this. I'm leaving." Seifer ignored the moogle after the 'Madain Sari' part, and began to walk away."

"Seraph! Seraph!" An old man rushed up to them. "Jane's in labor! Have you seen her husband?!"

"Oh no! He went to the Iifa Tree, kupo, but he should be back soon!" it informed the man. "Hold it!"

He stared bemusedly as the moogle assistant quickly flew after a blonde stranger, and began to literally drag the man in her wake.

"Get your paws off of me, you damn winged cat!"

The moogle puffed up in anger, and began to pull harder. "You need…huff…to come…huff…with me to…huff…Madain Sari!"

Seifer sighed in resignation, and let himself be dragged along. _'Stuck in time…with an old geezer and a damn cat. Knowing my luck, I'm the only one who didn't get home. If only Squall was here, it wouldn't be that bad. Tolerable.'_

"Where are we going, cat?"

"First, the midwife. Sever can take care of you then. But first he needs to see to birth of his adopted grandchild."

"Sever?"

"Me," replied the old man.

"Great. The old geezer. Can't you hand me off to someone else more reliable?"

The moogle looked at him in disdain. "I sincerely doubt Squall Leonhart would like to miss the birth of his first child for the likes of you."

Seifer's brain stopped functioning.

* * *

TBC… 


End file.
